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Japan Travel |OT| We have to go back

Niks

Niks

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,299
Well it's my last night here in Japan and I have loved every minute here. As the title says I already want to come back.

Next time I come tho, it will be in a more laid back trip. It was 12 days of getting up early and walking all day. I am dead. But it was so worth it.

Favorite temple /shrine: Fushimi inari
Favorite Tokyo ward: Shinjuku
Favorite food: ramen

Other highlights, dotonbori was nuts. Shibuya was nuts, Tokyo is a shoppers paradise if you have the time and money to browse the countless shops. Every single place I went to eat was amazing. Kyoto is expensive. The transport system is godly, it takes a couple of days to get used to, but then it becomes second nature to use it. Suica is a God send. Watching people on the train was a guilty pleasure, they have such a unique sense of style and fashion.

Anyways, I had pretty big expectations coming here, but they were easily surpassed. Can't wait to come back in the future.
 
MrKlaw

MrKlaw

Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,038
My favourite temple/shrine was definitely Ryoan-ji. I could sit watching that garden all day.

My favourite parts of my last trip were getting our own Suica cards finally, and the day I went into Tokyo with my wife, and my kids came along to meet up with us for lunch later - travelling in on the train from Chiba on their own. They're 16 and 13 so its fine but my wife was still a little nervous as Tokyo station is so big.

Next time I'm definitely going to try and find more 'stuff' to do. My wife is happy enough spending time with her parents which is absolutely understandable. But I'd like my kids to see more of the country if possible. We did when they were tiny but not recently. We've done Kyoto and Osaka (would like to do Kyoto again - being there in the spring is so nice), and Hiroshima/Miyajima. Also a bit of skiing during Christmas. Would like to do Nara, and my son wants to revisit Mt Fuji/Hakone too.
 
Stuart444

Stuart444

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,068
Just curious, any of Japan Travel Era been to Onomichi? Saw the place in Yakuza is a real place (as in, I knew it was real just like Kamurocho is Kabukicho in real life but Onomichi is Onomichi, no name change).

Pictures via google maps make it look beautiful and quiet/serene.
 
Feral

Feral

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,006
Your Mom
are you going to walk the Magome - Tsumago trail in Kiso Valley? Fritz

I only have an evening planned for Osaka now, after reading that many people don't really seem to be particularly enthusiastic about the city. The nightlife scene is supposedly among the best in Japan, though


I'm also half-tempted to make a stop in Nagoya after running across this brutal article
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2...tional/nagoya-boring-city-japan/#.WuBtC2E_80M
it sounds like Nagoya is the red-headed stepchild* of Japan^^
*figure of speech, redheads are awesome
 
Agent_ShortBus

Agent_ShortBus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
671
This thread is awesome and thank you for answering my last question.

I've got another. So I'm planning on stopping in Yokohama to check out the car scene and stop by UpGarage to see if I can find a good deal on used or new steering wheel for my brother and some lowering springs and shocks for myself. The prices are crazy cheap compared to the U.S. Wanted to ask if anyone knows of any other car related stores I could check out. In Osaka, Kyoto, or Tokyo.
 
GFP_RYU

GFP_RYU

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,257
I'm going to Tokyo since I really wanted to visit. Where is the best place to buy rare video game stuff like the Ps2 Sega Saturn control pad or gold Chogokins like DX Combatller V or Sentinel Dancouga?
 
Ys45

Ys45

Member
Oct 25, 2017
463
Ys45 said:
Hey everyone,

So I'm probably going back to Tokyo in July, I was wondering if anyone know a good hotel with rooms with nice view on the city ?
I know it's very specific but I always wanted to have a room with a nice view of Tokyo, I could enjoy a nice drink at night while watching the scenery :)
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anyone?

Now it's official I am going back in July, I know it's not the best time to go but it's the only time Il be able to go this year since I'm going with my girl friend to Scotland in September.
 
Stuart444

Stuart444

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,068
Ys45 said:
anyone?

Now it's official I am going back in July, I know it's not the best time to go but it's the only time Il be able to go this year since I'm going with my girl friend to Scotland in September.
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Villa Fontaine in Tamachi. I loved it.

The Cerulean Tower hotel in Shibuya is also good if you can afford it as well.

Only two Tokyo hotels I have experience with. The latter is more of what you want, the former has a nice view from the hallway imo (overlooking some train tracks) but no real good view from the room iirc (although maybe other rooms had better views).

The latter like I said, has a fantastic view, at least the room I had. I mean seriously fucking amazing. (I think I have a pic of it in my album in the front page - dont have time to look for it but it's towards the end since it was the final hotel I stayed in during my trip)

Good luck being there in July and have fun in Scotland when you visit here :)
 
OP
OP
MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918
GFP_RYU said:
I'm going to Tokyo since I really wanted to visit. Where is the best place to buy rare video game stuff like the Ps2 Sega Saturn control pad or gold Chogokins like DX Combatller V or Sentinel Dancouga?
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Well, for Chogokins you could check the Jungle stores and AmiAmi in Akihabara and Madarake in both Akihabara and Nakano.

If it's something recently released, you could check Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara as well, but if it's rare it might be sold out :P
 
MrKlaw

MrKlaw

Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,038
Ys45 said:
anyone?

Now it's official I am going back in July, I know it's not the best time to go but it's the only time Il be able to go this year since I'm going with my girl friend to Scotland in September.
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Japan in July and Scotland in September? No way to swap those two around :) ?
 
Ys45

Ys45

Member
Oct 25, 2017
463
Stuart444 said:
Villa Fontaine in Tamachi. I loved it.

The Cerulean Tower hotel in Shibuya is also good if you can afford it as well.

Only two Tokyo hotels I have experience with. The latter is more of what you want, the former has a nice view from the hallway imo (overlooking some train tracks) but no real good view from the room iirc (although maybe other rooms had better views).

The latter like I said, has a fantastic view, at least the room I had. I mean seriously fucking amazing. (I think I have a pic of it in my album in the front page - dont have time to look for it but it's towards the end since it was the final hotel I stayed in during my trip)

Good luck being there in July and have fun in Scotland when you visit here :)
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Thanks! Villa Fontaine looks nice and about 200-300$ more than the hotel I usually stay at in Shinjuku.
 
Ys45

Ys45

Member
Oct 25, 2017
463
MrKlaw said:
Japan in July and Scotland in September? No way to swap those two around :) ?
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Unfortunately no, having my vacation time with my girlfriend is complicated matter at my work :(
But last year I was also in Tokyo during that period and I don't really mind the hot and humid climate.
 
Stuart444

Stuart444

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,068
Ys45 said:
Thanks! Villa Fontaine looks nice and about 200-300$ more than the hotel I usually stay at in Shinjuku.
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart444/26484345892/in/album-72157666888348500/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart444/26550581116/in/album-72157666888348500/

These are the Tamachi hotel pics.

The Shibuya hotel pics:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart444/26551526396/in/album-72157666888348500/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart444/25972604844/in/album-72157666888348500/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart444/25972603644/in/album-72157666888348500/

Didn't take me as long as I thought to find them lol.

Sorry for the poor quality on the first set of pics though :(
 
Ys45

Ys45

Member
Oct 25, 2017
463
Stuart444 said:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart444/26484345892/in/album-72157666888348500/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart444/26550581116/in/album-72157666888348500/

These are the Tamachi hotel pics.

The Shibuya hotel pics:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart444/26551526396/in/album-72157666888348500/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart444/25972604844/in/album-72157666888348500/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart444/25972603644/in/album-72157666888348500/

Didn't take me as long as I thought to find them lol.

Sorry for the poor quality on the first set of pics though :(
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Wow, The Tamachi hotel would be more than enough for me but the Shibuya hotel is just amazing with the view on Tokyo tower but I really cannot afford this one lol.
Thanks for the pics, I should do the same for my next trip and post them here, but I always use my crappy phone for taking pictures so it's not really good quality.
 
Stuart444

Stuart444

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,068
Ys45 said:
Wow, The Tamachi hotel would be more than enough for me but the Shibuya hotel is just amazing with the view on Tokyo tower but I really cannot afford this one lol.
Thanks for the pics, I should do the same for my next trip and post them here, but I always use my crappy phone for taking pictures so it's not really good quality.
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Those are phone pics mostly so I wouldn't worry too much :)
 

Deleted member 8433

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
495
Violet (0_0) said:
are you going to walk the Magome - Tsumago trail in Kiso Valley? Fritz

I only have an evening planned for Osaka now, after reading that many people don't really seem to be particularly enthusiastic about the city. The nightlife scene is supposedly among the best in Japan, though


I'm also half-tempted to make a stop in Nagoya after running across this brutal article
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2...tional/nagoya-boring-city-japan/#.WuBtC2E_80M
it sounds like Nagoya is the red-headed stepchild* of Japan^^
*figure of speech, redheads are awesome
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I can help you out a bit. We did the Magome-Tsumago hike yesterday and although the rain was doing work it was still absolutely beautiful and definitely worth doing. The two towns were a bit dead and I blame that on the rain more than anything but the scenery was absolutely worth it. Took us from about 9AM - 6 PM getting from Nagoya to Nakatsugawa to Magome to hiking to Tsumago to busing to Nasigo to taking the JR back to Nagoya. Not that bad at all. And to be honest if you're staying in Nagoya for a day or two there isnt all that much else to do that compares, in my opinion of course.

I felt that Osaka was worth at least a night there. During the day I'd say it's much more worth going to Nara for the day and then come back for the Market and the nightlife.

Heading back to LAX tomorrow but I'd rank it as so

Kyoto --> Tokyo --> Osaka (Nara) ---> Nagoya

Really wish we took out a Tokyo day and out it into Kyoto but it's fine, still the best trip I've taken in my life as a whole and an action packed 9 days.

Now got to wake up in a couple of hours for the fish market auction and then pack...
 
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Feral

Feral

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,006
Your Mom
Beach said:
I can help you out a bit. We did the Magome-Tsumago hike yesterday and although the rain was doing work it was still absolutely beautiful and definitely worth doing. The two towns were a bit dead and I blame that on the rain more than anything but the scenery was absolutely worth it. Took us from about 6 AM - 6 PM getting from Nagoya to Nakatsugawa to Magome to hiking to Tsumago to busing to Nasigo to taking the JR back to Nagoya. Not that bad at all. And to be honest if you're staying in Nagoya for a day or two there isnt all that much else to do that compares, in my opinion of course.

I felt that Osaka was worth at least a night there. During the day I'd say it's much more worth going to Nara for the day and then come back for the Market and the nightlife.
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my plan A is to go from Tokyo to Nikko for 2 days/1 night, stay another night in Tokyo, take the bus to Matsumoto early in the morning, check out the city, walk the Kiso trail on the next day, stay overnight in Nagoya, leave for Kyoto in the morning, from where I can do a day trip to Nara, then vist Himeji and go to Kobe with the Kansai pass, explore the city on the next day and leave for Osaka in the evening, experience the city at night, and fly from Osaka to Kagoshima in the morning

the more complicated plan B is 3 days/2 nights in Nikko, with a train trip back to Tokyo in the afternoon to switch to the Matsumoto bus and arrive there sometimes before midnight, see the castle and inner city until noon on the next day, go to the Kiso trail and walk to Magome, where I could stay in a reasonably priced hostel. I'd prefer this plan, but the problem is that I'm not sure if you can do Matsumoto and the Kiso trail all on the same day. This part of the trip is still a real head-scratcher for me, so I left it open for now

the trail itself is something like 9km long, I think? So, taking it slow, it should take maybe 3-4 hours, right?

and man, sucks to hear about the bad weather on your day there
 

Deleted member 3862

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Oct 25, 2017
940
What do people recommend for access to funds while in country? I'm going for three weeks, and I don't want to carry that much cash with me, but I don't know how to get access while there. I'll be in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka mostly.
 
OP
OP
MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918
emonk said:
What do people recommend for access to funds while in country? I'm going for three weeks, and I don't want to carry that much cash with me, but I don't know how to get access while there. I'll be in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka mostly.
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Get cash at the ATMs at 7-11 everywhere or the post office.
 

Deleted member 3862

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Oct 25, 2017
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NerdSoldier

Member
Apr 22, 2018
43
I am going in August and I am so excited. Ill be staying in Osaka for 6 days and Tokyo for 7 days. We plan to travel all around the area though.
 
ninnanuam

ninnanuam

Member
Nov 24, 2017
1,956
I
Ys45 said:
anyone?

Now it's official I am going back in July, I know it's not the best time to go but it's the only time Il be able to go this year since I'm going with my girl friend to Scotland in September.
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I liked the view from the Hilton in Nishi Shinjuku last time I stayed. A real Neo Tokyo vibe.
 
OP
OP
MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/...xpand-lcc-terminal-to-address-congestion.html

The operator of Narita airport near Tokyo said Thursday its terminal for budget airlines will be expanded to address congestion, with the total area to be doubled by March 2022.

The expansion of Narita's Terminal 3 will increase the capacity from the current 7.5 million passengers to 15 million a year, said Narita International Airport Corp.

The extended terminal will be built at the site of Japan Airlines Co.'s cargo facility currently located next to the terminal. JAL has broadly agreed to move the cargo facility elsewhere, according to the Narita operator and other sources.

Low-cost carriers accounted for 30.7 percent of total passenger flights at Narita airport, including terminals 1 and 2, from Oct. 29, 2017 to March 24 this year, up from 11.5 percent in the same period in 2013 and 2014, the operator said.
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Kwigo

Kwigo

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
8,027
I DID IT!

Showed some more stuff about Japan to my GF, and now she's almost as hyped as me about going (she didn't care at all about the country in the beginning), so we'll start planning the trip for early April 2019.

We'll try and squeeze Tokyo, Tokyo Disneyland, Kyoto, Osaka and Nara in a 14-days trip.
Is it better to plan everything beforehand, or should we choose some activities per district and do them depending on what we want to do in the moment?
 
Ys45

Ys45

Member
Oct 25, 2017
463
Pixels said:
I have been to Super Potato. My life is now complete.
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That's what I told myself the first time I went there.
And then I went to Mandarake ....

And a bunch of other stores like that.

But Super Potato got his charms though and it's the only place I was able to find a Falcom and Ys t-shirt :P
 
apeache

apeache

Member
Oct 27, 2017
53
I'm planning to go to Hokkaido by flight but I am kinda worried since I read somewhere that most LCCs often cancel flights, but how true is this?
 
OP
OP
MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918
Gabrielt16 said:
Im having trouble with the part that says Japanican Tour CD. I know one is for Kyoto and another is for Osaka and those are prices for adults and child but other than that not sure whats the context for it.
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Read the red text at the top. You only need to fill in the stuff outlined by the thick lines. The other stuff the staff at the JR office will fill in.


apeache said:
I'm planning to go to Hokkaido by flight but I am kinda worried since I read somewhere that most LCCs often cancel flights, but how true is this?
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Well, often is relative :p

If you're worried you could just book ANA or JAL though, since it's 10800 JPY for foreign tourists as mentioned in the OP.
 
Won

Won

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,426
Finally figured out why there are no direct flights to Tokyo for my trip in November. They threw it 2 years ago, because it wasn't economically viable and only returned for the summer this year. What a world we live in!

Since Tokyo is mostly a footnote on the trip and for the most part because I arrive and depart there I might just fly into KIX and turn Tokyo into a day trip or skip it completely.

(I also already have a shorter Tokyo-only trip planned in my head to make up for it.)
 
mantis

mantis

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,826
Wait. Austrian are doing direct flights to Tokyo again? Remember gettin a flight for ~€600 a few years ago. Vienna - Tokyo. That was pretty sweet.
 
hwalker84

hwalker84

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,785
Pittsburgh
Niks said:
Well it's my last night here in Japan and I have loved every minute here. As the title says I already want to come back.

Next time I come tho, it will be in a more laid back trip. It was 12 days of getting up early and walking all day. I am dead. But it was so worth it.

Favorite temple /shrine: Fushimi inari
Favorite Tokyo ward: Shinjuku
Favorite food: ramen

Other highlights, dotonbori was nuts. Shibuya was nuts, Tokyo is a shoppers paradise if you have the time and money to browse the countless shops. Every single place I went to eat was amazing. Kyoto is expensive. The transport system is godly, it takes a couple of days to get used to, but then it becomes second nature to use it. Suica is a God send. Watching people on the train was a guilty pleasure, they have such a unique sense of style and fashion.

Anyways, I had pretty big expectations coming here, but they were easily surpassed. Can't wait to come back in the future.
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I'm a massive sneaker head and love a lot of Japanese brands. I have the money to spend a TON but my saving grace is that I'm a big dude and a size 13 shoe. Can't buy shit in Japan.
 
Fritz

Fritz

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,719
We are at the Okura in Tokyo now and I figured it's time for a quick heads up. The first week has been a blast. Best experiences so far: cycling in Osaka; reaching the massive gate at koyasan after a beautiful 8h hike, the Edo Tokyo Open Air Museum in Tokyo.

Some more or less unrelated pics



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marimo

marimo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
612
Anyone have any recommendations for onsen resorts? I'm looking at taking a trip to Japan in late Oct./early Nov. and I'll probably be doing the standard first timer Tokyo+Kyoto thing since my partner has never been before. Any good onsen within a reasonable distance? I've been to Hakone before but not any other onsen town.
 
Shane

Shane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,015
Hoping for some advice for my first visit to Japan (first international bit of traveling actually).

I'm arriving at HND on Thursday at about 2:30, and a friend I'm meeting doesn't arrive until about 10pm.

I'm fairly terrified of taking transit by myself to check into our airbnb and worry about getting lost. Should I worry? Google Maps clearly spells things out, but I guess I'm just paranoid. Or can I just hang out in the airport for 8 hours and not go insane after the 13 hour flight?

Thanks in advance.
 
Pixels

Pixels

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,005
I stayed in Roppongi and it turned out to be a great hoping off point to all the big areas of Tokyo. Just watch out for the Nigerian bars owners trying to lure you in...
 
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